Date of Award
5-12-2024
Degree Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Professional Studies
Department
Information Management
Advisor(s)
Steven Sawyer
Keywords
cartography best practices;climate model maps;uncertainty;uncertainty in cartography;visual semiotics;visualizing uncertainty
Abstract
This research presents an evaluation of the methods that can be used to visualize uncertainty in static image maps of climate change model outputs. Visualizing uncertainty can be traced back to the early days of cartography, scientific visualization, and information visualization. For decades, visualizations of uncertainty have been the focus of disparate research fields and multiple techniques have been proposed. However, critical evaluation of these approaches has not received the same level of consideration. This study identifies the current state of research for representing uncertainty on static maps and applies those methods to geospatial visualizations of climate change. Existing research focuses on visualizing uncertainty broadly and often generically, whereas this study specifically targets uncertainty visualization at a more detailed level. The assessment methodology proposed in this study not only identifies best practices for climate change depictions but also fills a gap within academic literature that cartographers may find useful. A rubric based on the fundamentals of visual semiotics was developed for the assessment of techniques for intuitiveness and iconicity and applied to the visualizations. Distinctions between the more successful and less successful practices highlight important considerations for visual representations of uncertainty on climate change model maps.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Arsenault, Matthew, "Critical Evaluation and Recommendations of Methods to Visualize Uncertainty in Static Image Maps of Climate Change Model Outputs" (2024). Dissertations - ALL. 1896.
https://surface.syr.edu/etd/1896
